Modern motor vehicles provide a plurality of comfort functions. Additionally and/or alternatively a plurality of systems exist which facilitate a use of a motor vehicle for the users and/or are to make it comfortable. The more complex the functions and/or systems become which have to be operated by the users, the more operating elements or the more complex operating elements are required. Since an installation space in motor vehicles provided for an arrangement of operating elements is limited, in particular multi-function operating devices are offered, which for example are formed as display and control devices. Particularly display and control devices, which comprise a display device and a touch-sensitive position detection unit coupled to the display device allow for operating a plurality of different systems internal to the vehicle and even external to the vehicle or temporary coupled to the vehicle as well as comfort functions. By means of a representation of information on the display area, it is possible to inform the user which function and/or action may be initiated and/or activated via touching the touch-sensitive position detection unit. Particularly preferred, the display device and the touch-sensitive position detection unit are integrated into a so-called touchscreen. In this connection, the touch-sensitive position detection unit is designed transparent and is arranged immediately in front of a display area of the display device. However, also other embodiments of display and control devices are feasible, in which a display device is coupled to a touch-sensitive position detection unit. Coupled to the display device and the touch-sensitive position detection unit is a control unit. On the one hand, it controls a display of information on the display area of the display device. On the other hand, the control unit comprises an evaluation logic, which evaluates the touched positions and for example correlates these with the information displayed on the display area to detect therefrom which function and/or action are to be initiated by a touching actuation. The control unit generates respective control signals to cause carrying out a function and/or an action.
By means of the known systems, function calls and/or action calls organized in hierarchical menu structures can be carried out. However, it is desirable to also allow intuitive and more complex operating actuations to allow for a quicker and not error-prone operation in the motor vehicle on the part of the users, in particular in order to not unnecessarily distract a driver from road traffic.